Dorothy Vaughan

Dorothy Vaughan was an African American woman who began working at NACA as a computer in West Computing. She was promoted to acting head of West Computing when Blanche Sponsler became ill. Quite some time after Blanche passed away, Dorothy was finally made the official head of West Computing. When NACA began using IBM computers, Dorothy could see the need for the women to learn how to use the machines in order to keep their jobs. When West Computing was disbanded as computers were used more and the women were assigned permanent places on various teams, Dorothy worked as a programmer. She eventually retired from NASA.

Katherine Goble Johnson

Katherine Goble Johnson was an African American mathematician who was later promoted to engineer. Her inquisitive nature and bright mind helped propel her forward in her career. She was respected for her analytical mind and was responsible...